Protective electric cut-out.



' S. G. RHODES.

PROTECTIVE ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1911.

1,019,362. Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

SAMUEL G. RHODES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

PROTECTIVE ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed November 14, 1911. Serial No. 660,193.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Protective ElectricCut-Outs', of which the following isa specification.

The invention prevents unauthorized abstraction of current from the supply leads of a three-wire system after the fascia the positive lead has blown-an occurrence which -now renders the meter inoperativeby means of a device brought into or out of action by the simple insertion or removal of the fuse plug in its usual base block. To this end I arrange separated terminals in the positive lead, and a terminal of the meter potential coil in such relation and juxtaposition as that the cooperation of the fuse plug therewith simultaneously makes or breaks two branch circuits from source. of current supply, one leading to the fuse and the other to-the potential coil. While blowing of the fuse cuts out one field coil of the meter, the armature coil still remains energized and cooperates with the other field.

coil; so that current cannot be taken from the .supplyleads without registration by the meter. The removal of the fuse plug, breaking, as stated, both circuits simultaneously, is also especially designed to meet the requirements of the rules of the Board of Fire Underwriters, that the pulling of the main fuse shall discontinue electric service at the building or other point of delivery.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of my protective cutout device, showing the base block in vertical section, and the meter connections diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a portion of the base block on the line as, a: of F1g. 2.

Similar letters and numbers of reference indicatelike parts.

The base block 1, of porcelain or other refractory insulating material, and the two arched fuse plugs 3, 4, are of a now well known type. The plugs are flanged to form covers for the sockets in the base block and carry contact plates, which meet fixed contact plates in the sockets when the plugs are in place therein. On both legs of plug 4 (not shown) and one leg, 5, of fplug 3, the two contact plates'fi are formed rom a sinsingle piece of metal, 8, secured in the base block by screw 9. To said contact plates 7 aresecured one'terminal, 10, of the positive lead 11 of a three-Wire system and both terminals of the negative lead 12, by means of bolts 13. The neutral lead 14 extends through the base block. On the other leg, 15, of plug 3, there are three contact plates formed by suitably cutting and bendin up port-ions of a plate 16. On two sides of the leg 15 these plates correspond to the plates 7 on the other legs and, in like manner, meet fixed plates 17 formed by bending up the single piece of metal 18, to which the other terminal 19 of the positive lead 11 is attached by bolt 20. The third contact plateA on leg 15 makes contact with a bent over spring plate B. The horizontal portion of plate B is received in a recess in the bottom of the socket and is covered b a plate C, both plates B and C,- of insulating material, being secured in place by block 21. The fuse strips 22 (one indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1) are connected, as usual, to the contact plates on the plugs.

A meter, D, of known construction, has its field coils E connected in the ordinary way to the positive and negative leads and to the load indicated by the lamps at F, and one terminal of its armature or potential coil G connected to the neutral lead. The other armature terminal is connected to spring plate B, and in the connecting conductor may be interposed a fuse H.

The directibn of current from the source 1 of supply is indicated by the .arrow a, Hence when the fuse plug 3 is in place in the base block, two branch circuits result, one proceeding from the source of supply, to fixed contact plate 18, through the fuse 22, to plate 8, and so to'posit-ive lead and meter field coil, and the other fromcontact plate 18, to contact plate A on said fuse plug, spring contact plate B, to the armature coil G. If the fuse be blown, the meter will nevertheless remain operative, since although the field coil in the positive lead is rendered inoperative, the field coil in' the negative lead and the potential coil continueoperative. The simple insertion or removal of the fuse plug in the base block thus siinulinieouslv makes 01' breaks circuit in bolili 2. In eonibiuatien with a meter and three J J 'i 1 1 1.10111 the source 0t supply to che wire supply lez us, base b10011, liming nvo -11 to the armature coil. sockets, tern c\ls of ihe positive lead re 0t claim herein the connection of the spectively 11 0,. (l therein. a. tannins] in 20 potential coil. of the meter to the positive one of said seekel's connected 110 the POtClr lead M 'tial coil of said meter, and a fuse plu entering suicl sockets and ceipei-zuing Will said tenninals simuliimieously to close branch circuits from the smu'ce of current supply in the use and. l0 s lO. potential coil.

e positive lead, a tenninnl connect- 1n i'esliniony wliemof i have ZIHlXQLl my 6 meter potential coil, incl u removsignature in pr use of awe Witness s. I plug eoiipel'ating "with said termimlilwfiUEL G. RTBDDES. mils Simullimieoitxsly to close braneh circuits fmimi the source of current supply to (he use ml. to ocential coil.

s mrce e1? iiUi'JJOI'lt supgly.

.1. claim: v 1, ll combination with a meter and a vim: supply sysfln, separated termil point between the fuse anlthe I Witnesses:

(:ER'JIRUDE T. PORTER? 

